1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an automotive on-board diagnostic computer system and more particularly to one that has an audiovisual guiding function to facilitate connection between a data link connector and a corresponding transmission connector.
2. Description of Related Art
Nowadays, it is not uncommon for a vehicle to be equipped with an on-board diagnostic (OBD) system. An automotive OBD system is typically connected to an on-board computer in order to obtain the execution status, settings, or like data of the on-board computer. In addition, an automotive OBD system includes a transmission port, generally known as data link connector (DLC), for connecting with the transmission connector of a display device or external computer, through which the owner of a vehicle or a technician can know the conditions of the vehicle. As the transmission port of an automotive OBD system is in most cases located at an spot below the dashboard of a vehicle, and the location of the transmission port may vary from one vehicle manufacturer to another, a user may have problem finding the transmission port rapidly, let alone aligning a transmission connector with it. In other words, the transmission ports of the conventional automotive OBD systems cause inconvenience of use.
As a solution, US Patent Application Publication No. 20150081163 A1, titled “OBD ILLUMINATOR CABLE APPARATUS AND METHOD”, discloses a transmission connector that includes a housing, a plurality of pins, and a light source. The housing has an interface, from which the pins extend. The light source is disposed on the housing and provides illumination so that a user may find it easier to locate the transmission port of an automotive OBD system.
However, despite the illumination of the light source of the transmission connector, the user may still have to spend a lot of time looking for the transmission port because the location of the transmission port may vary with the vehicle manufacturer. The difficulty of finding the transmission port increases when the ambient light is so bright (e.g., during the day) that it interferes with the illumination of the light source.